Last year, the Weehawken Senior Citizens Club was on the verge of destruction. After the death of long-time president Alfred Johnson, it appeared as if there wasn’t going to be someone to step forward and coordinate the numerous trips and events that the seniors had gone on while Johnson was at the helm. Shirley Kelly was a member of the club and someone who frequently traveled with the group. “I loved going on all the trips,” Kelly said last week. “I belonged to both of Alfred’s clubs. I knew Alfred as well as anyone did, but when he died, we all figured the club would die with him.” In fact, plans were being made to disband the club. Until one day, when someone mentioned that perhaps Kelly should become the club’s president. “I never even gave it a thought,” Kelly said. “Someone knew that I used to be the president of something, so they brought up my name.” A few years ago, before she retired, Kelly had served as the president of the Local 1400 Transport Workers Union. She was the president of the organization for six years. “I think that’s how they got the idea,” Kelly said. “They really kept after me and wanted me to become the club’s president. Someone told me that I had to be president, because if I didn’t, the club would die. I didn’t want that on my shoulders. I didn’t realize that they depended on the club so much. So I said that I’d do it.” With that, Kelly became the new president of the Weehawken Senior Citizens Club. Kelly already had had a storied career. She was one of the first civilian female toll collectors at the Lincoln Tunnel and had worked her way up the ranks to become union president. During that time, she was a working wife and mother of three daughters and two sons. “I was home for 17 years, raising the children, but when it came time for me to work, I worked,” Kelly said. “I’m always keeping busy, doing something. After I retired, I didn’t have anything.” More time And four years ago, her husband of 47 years, Thomas, passed away. It left Shirley with a lot of free time, so the new responsibilities made sense. “I think I’m fairly organized and I’ve done this kind of thing before, so I guess it made sense, although I never really thought about doing it,” Kelly said. “And now, I love it. I’m so glad I did it. It’s like I have a new career. My dining room table is always filled with papers, but I like it that way.” Last Wednesday, as Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski honored the top senior citizens at each Hudson County municipality at a luncheon at the Casino in the Park in Jersey City, Shirley Kelly received the honor as Weehawken’s Senior Citizen of the Year. In the eyes of Weehawken Senior Citizens Director Carmela Facchini, the selection of Kelly was a no-brainer. “Absolutely, she’s been a godsend to us,” Facchini said. “No one wanted to know anything about the club, and Shirley stepped forward to bail us out. She’s a tough lady and she definitely stepped in when we needed her. The club is on an upswing again. She was the right person at the right time and things worked out well.” Kelly said she was touched by the honor. “I was very honored and very proud,” Kelly said. “I’m not a person who likes to boast or brag, but this surprised me when I was chosen. I never dreamed anyone would pick me.” Kelly said that she was impressed with Janiszewski, never having met the county leader before. “He was very well spoken and had a terrific personality,” Kelly said of Janiszewski. “I was a nervous wreck going up there with the other seniors, but he calmed me down. He was very nice. It had been a while since I received an honor like this.” Kelly said that she vows to continue to run the senior club, as long as she keeps receiving assistance from other helpful seniors. “They all told me that they were willing to help in anything I did,” Kelly said. “They’ve all been so great to me, like an extended family. My children are all so wrapped up in their careers, that this is my career now. I’m getting used to being busy again. I love it. It’s like having a new career all over again.” Kelly’s son, Thomas, Jr., is a fire captain with the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, and her other son, Sean, is a Weehawken police officer.
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